of hardship. we are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows she has the same chance to succeed as anyone else because she's an american, she is free, and she is equal not just in the eyes of god, but also in our own. [applause] we understand our programs are adequate to the needs of our time. we must harvest new ideas and technology that we make our government, revamp our tax cuts come reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder and learn more and retire. but -- and reach higher. while the means change, the purpose and doors. a nation that rewards the effort and determination of each and every american, that is what this

we believe every citizen deserves a measure of dignity. we must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care. we reject the belief that america must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and invested in the generation that will build its future. we remember the lessons of our past. twilight years were spent in poverty. a tablet disability had nowhere to turn. we do not believe that freedom is reserved for the lucky or happiness for the few.

we recognize that men matter how responsibly we live our lives any one of us at any of our times may face a job loss or a home slipped away in a terrible storm. the commitments we make to each other do not zap our nation, they strengthen us. they do not make us a nation of takers, and a free as to take the risk that make this country great. redo the free us to take the risks that make this country great. we the people still believe our obligations of americans are not just to ourselves but to all posterity f. we will respond to the threat of climate change in knowing

failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. some may still deny the judgment of silent but no one can ignore drought and powerful storms. a path toward sustainable energy sources will be long and difficult. america cannot resist this transition. we must lead it. we cannot see the technology that will power new jobs and industries. we must claim it promises. that is how we will claim our vitality peart our forests and waterways, are snowcapped peaks. that is how we will change our

planet. that is what will end to our creed. we the people still believe that in during security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. our brave men and women in uniform, it tempered by the flames of battle are unmatched in skills and courage. our citizens, feared by the memory of those who have lost know too well the price that is paid for liberty. this will keep a vigilant against those that would do us harm. we are heirs to those who won the people.

we must carry those lessons into this time as well. we will defend our people and uphold our values through strengths of arms and rule of law. we will show courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peaceably not because we are 90 but because engagements can lift suspicion and fear. america " remain at the anger of a strong alliance. we will extend our capacity to manage a crisis and fraud. we will support democracy from asia to africa to the americans to the middle east. our interest and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom. we must be a source of hope for

the port, sick, marginalized, victims of prejudice. peace requires the advance of those principles. tolerance and opportunity. human dignity. justice. we the people declare the most evidence of sure that all of us are declared equal. just as they guided all those men and women we can not walk alone. our individual freedom is

inexplicably bound for the freedom. it is our generation's path to carry on what those pioneers began. our journey is not complete until our mothers and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. our journey is not complete until our brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law. if we are treated equal, at the law must be equal as well. our journey is not complete until they can exercise the rights of both. our journey is not complete

until we find a better way to welcome the hopeful immigrants that still see america as an opportunity. our journey is not complete until all of our children from the streets of detroit to the white plains of newtown know they're cared for and always safe from harm. that is our generation's task, to make these rights and values of life and liberty in the pursuit of happiness. the make real for every american. been shoes to our founding

documents is not require us to agree -- been true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every libbers see the same way. or followed the same precise path to happiness. congress is not compel us to settle the debate about the role of government for all time. it does require us to act in our time. for now decisions are upon us. we cannot afford delays. we can not mistake absolutism for principle. we cannot treat blame -- name- calling as a reason for debate. we must act knowing that our work will be on perfect.

it will be up to those who stand near in 400 years to good chance the timeless this bear philadelphia hall. my fellow americans, at the oath i have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who have served in this cabinet, was an oath to god and country, not parties. we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration. the words i spoke today are not so different from the oath that has taken each time a soldier has signed up for duty born in ghent realizes her dreams. my oath is not different from

the plans we make to the flags above and bills are heart with pride. they represent our greatest hope. uni have the power to -- you the obligation to shape our times with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient of values and an adoring ideas. with common efforts in common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history and carry that precious blight. thank you.

god bless you. he ever bless the united states of america. [applause]

>> the united states marine band. my country tis of thee sweet land of liberty

if thee i sing land where my fathers died lad of the pilgrim's pride from every mountain side let freedom ring ♪ let music sweel the beach and ring from all the trees sweet freedom songs

let silence break the sound prolonged ♪ our father guide to thee father of liberty to thee we sing ♪ long may our land be bright

with freedom's holy light protect us by the might great god, our king ♪ >> pwow. our next distinguished guest is the appellate issue will share with us where -- poet who will share with us words he has composed for this location.

occasion. >> one today. one sun rose on us today kindles over our shores greeting the facves of the great lakes acrossng a simple truth the greatplains rooftops, aking upf under each one a story told by oiur silten gestures my face, your face

millions of faces each one yawning to life crescendoing to our day the pencil yellow school buses, for it stands, oranges betting our praise. sobered trucks and heavy with oil and paper, teeming over highways alongside us our way to clean tables read ledgers or save lives to teach geometry or ring up groceries as my mother did for 20 years so i could write this poem for all of us today. all of us, as vital as the one

light we all move through, equations to solve, history to question, we all keep dreaming a or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that will not explain the empty deaths of 20 children marked absent today and forever many prayers one light life into the faces of a bronze statue is warmth into the steps of our museums and park benches as mothers watched children slide into the day one grounds our ground

routine as to every stalk of corn every head of wheat sown by sweat and hands hands planting windmills that keep us warm hands digging trenches, routing pipes in cable ands as worn as my father's cutting sugar cane so my brother and i could have a books and shoes the dust of farms and desserts, mingled byplaneines, one half wind, our breath breathe the it throught the go symphony of screeching subways, of the unexpected sunbird on

your clothes line squeaky playground swings hear the doors we open each day for each other same "hello, shalom, bonjourno, howdy, namaste or buenos dias" in the language my mother taught me in every language carrying our lives without prejudice as these words a break from my lips one sky since the mississippi were to their way to the scene thank the work of our hands, weaving steel into bridges

finishing one more report for the boss on time. did the first brush stroke on a portrait or a last floor on the freedom tower injecting into the sky that yield to our resilience. 01 sky we sometimes lift our eyes tired from work. some days giving thanks for a love that loved you back. some time praising a mother who knew how to give or for giving a father who cannot give what you wanted. we had a home through the loss of rain our way to snow or the palm blush of desk

but always a home, always under one sky, our sky, and always one moon like the silent jump tapping on every wolf -- roof top of one country, all of us facing the stars. hope, a new constellation, which in for us to map its. waiting for us to name it together. [applause]

>> that is my pleasure to introduce this doctor to deliver the benediction. >> let us pray. gracious and eternal god, as we conclude the second inauguration of president obama we ask for your blessings as we seek to become "citizens of a beloved community, loving you and loving our neighbors as ourselves." y you will bless us with your presence. with out bus patrons will in fact our hearts. with your blessing we know we

can bay region break down the walls that separate us. we pray for your blessings. without it, mistrust will rule our hearts. with the blessing of your presence, we know we can renew the ties and mutual regard that can best for our civic life. we pray for your blessing because without it despair of those different from us will be our role of light. with your blessing we can see each other created in your image, a unit of god's grace, unprecedented, a repeatable and irreplaceable. we play -- pray for your blessing. with out it we will see only what the eye can see. createdsee that we're

in your image, whether brown, black, or white, male or female, first-generation immigrant american or daughter of the american revolution, gay or straight, rich or poor. we pray for your blessing. without it we will only see scarcity in the midst of abundance. with your blessing we will recognize the abundance of the gifts of this good land with which you have and out of this nation. we pray for your blessing. bless all of us. privilege to be a resident of this nation with a. of gratitude in humility that we may be a blessing. we pray that you will shower with your life giving.

that will be leaders of this land, especially barack our president and joe our vice- president. fill them with righteousness that they may serve this nation ably and be glad to do your will. endow their hearts with wisdom and forbearance so that peace may prevail with righteousness, and justice with order, some men and women can find the fulfillment of our humanity. we pray that the president and all and political authority will remember the words of the profit micah "what does the lord require of thee but to do justice, to love kindness, and always walk humbly with god?" [speaking spanish]

mr. president, mr. vice president, may god bless you all your days. all this we pray in your most holy name. amen. in singingjoin us forcing nam the national anthem. please remit main at your place while the party exes the platform.

o say can you see by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

o'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? and the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there; o say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

♪ ♪

>> all set?

alright i am proclaiming goodwill toward men. >> amen. >> here wo go. i am setting up a few nominations which i know will be viewed with grace. charles hagal for defense.

of virginia. there you go. thank you very much everybody. i can get you one. this is a nice one. that is yours .

>> you are watching the live coverage of the 2013 inauguration coverage. it in a few minutes, the traditional inaugural luncheon. later on, live coverage of the inaugural parade. many times their of the day our phone lines open for you to react for what you're saying throughout the country. we welcome our viewers on c- span and on our sister public affairs station in canada and around the globe. our phone lines are open.

here is one on twitter. he writes to us together is definitely the thing together -- today of the poem and the speec h. he was the youngest poet to ever speak at an inauguration, at the first immigrant, hispanic, and gay poet. let's take some phone calls. we will take a call from barbara. you are on. your reaction. caller: can hear me ok? host: we can. caller: first if you let me come at a personal experience. until today my favorite inauguration was the one at jfk for two reasons, his astronauts statements and for the fact

that it was the first time i was able to vote. i turned 21 on election day. as able to vote for kennedy that day. since then they changed the age to 18. since i started voting, i have plusssed 14 inauguration's the swearing in of lbj in dallas. it is something i would not miss for anything. one thing that impressed me so much was all the flag-waving in the crowd. i thought it was just beautiful. the music by james taylor. he was always one of my favorite. and the choir this thing be back on him. today the line about trampling out the grapes of wrath stuck

with me. we have so much hatred today. i hope we can make some progress. host: i know you waited a long time. brandon is tweeting us. this is a beautiful day for our country. i'm going to find something good to do today. inauguration day is filled with many traditions. you just witnessed a signing ceremony. this happens in the presence room in the capital. you saw the president what the plans that are distributed to the leaders of congress. he also confirmed the nominations of john brennan it to be defense secretary appeared next is a call to is watching

us. caller: i just wanted to call and get my comments on today's ceremony. it is very moving. i did not vote for mr. obama. i hope he surrounds himself with people that we give him counsel. he was hoping we would come together, works for the next four years. the most moving part was beyonce's singing of the national anthem. i hope we can go forward as one nation. >> she writes the benediction is lovely but what about separation of church and state? next is a call from santiago.

i thought president obama's speech was really good. agree with james taylor and beyonce. their performances were great. he did not talk about bipartisanship and he should have. host: the speech was clocked in at just over 18 minutes. next is a call from gary. caller: thank you for letting me call. i was very impressed with its. it is a good day for us all to come together. it is a very special shout out you were finishing

the national anthem. they started ripping the president's, his agenda, his speech. this is fairly biased news. >> your seen pictures from inside the capitol. but macsharry this beautiful shot. the congressional luncheon was established in 1953. 50 guests gathered at that point in the old senate chamber. several luncheons were held around the capital. none were able to do all the guests. the tradition began of holding this. it is hosted by members of the joint committee. there will be about 200

families. next is a call from bill. you are on. >> i believe in the simplicity of the elegance. it was absolutely beautiful. it reminded me of robert frost. the words were simple. it was absolutely a beautiful poem. >> thank you. you are an independent. what did you think about the ceremonies today? >> i would like to get kudos to c-span for always having excellent coverage. thank you for taking my call. i thought it was excellent. i have no complaints about

anything. isn't that wonderful? host: it is nice to hear. thanks for the comments. jimmy carter had 80 years old greeting supporters. l.l., everyone -- hello, everyone. this is my first time taking my day off to see the whole thing from the beginning to the end. i've never had a chance to see. i have this chance to see president obama in 2009. that time the republican president was there but this

time i do not see him. host: president george h. of the bush is recovering from hospitalization. they took the day off because of the illness of the elder george bush today. next up is a call from michael who is watching as a in queens, new york. caller: hello. i am calling from jersey city. i want to remind people that the remind us about is up to us to work together and change the policies. we need to make sure we got to change what we're going to do. i will be calling harry reid's office tomorrow to ask and to change the filibuster rule. we have to make the move.

i agree. i understand ipoem. -- the poem. it was beautiful. >> you are on. welcome. caller: i just want to comment that i find it very revealing that secretary clinton is trying to avoid the benghazi scandal and had on new glasses but not answered one question about how many americans were killed in benghazi. host: i am so incredibly happy right now and so grateful for all that obama has laid out for his second term. we are following tweets. you are welcome to join the conversation.

>> i really was and pressed by the whole inauguration. i was able to watch the first one. probably early this morning. i thought it was really professional. the politicians, i wish they would get together like that when it is time to change lolls and improve the stability of this country. i was impressed overall, especially with kelly clarkson and the beyonce. they were impressive with their music. i listened to them sparingly no when they have a couple of hits. i wish to put up more patriotic songs. -- i wish they put out more

patriotic songs. it is gentle to the years. it really made an impact. far as their song. host: think you very much. there is the republican leader of the united states senator. prior to that we saw senator john kerry, likely next secretary of state. a comment on twitter the rights i think the inauguration should be a national holiday every four years, regardless of affiliation everyone should watch it. there is justice scalia of the supreme court. watching as an arlington, texas. an independent there. caller: i am here. i just wanted to call and say that i do appreciate c-span. i appreciate the statements

obama made. it was very important. also, it was good to see president carter again. also good to see president bill clinton. i just want to say we're praying for you, god bless you and we do appreciate you. >> bipartisan moment with justice scalia talking to patrick leahy of vermont. you wonder what you get to eat. here is what the menu is like. the first course is steamed lobster. the second hickory-grow by sen, and wild huckleberry reduction. the third course is hudson valley apple pie with sour cream ice cream, aged cheese, and honey. the wind will be from new york state from chuck schumer the represents the united states

senate. next is a call from nelson. caller: i have a question with the ceremonies being whipped on the 21st. i notice reagan's inauguration in 1985 that it was moved to the 21st. if there is a change of presidents and falls on a sunday, are the ceremonies moved to the 21st there as well? thank you. host: yesterday recovered the official swearing in of the president and vice president. those ceremonies held separately. those were to affirm the constitutional requirements. today is really the public ceremony, and they follow the constitution. today all about the big public events. today the first public event.

the next call is from robin. she is watching us in tennessee. caller: i am so glad i voted for obama. he really shines when he makes his speech. you can tell he is sincere in trying to do what the majority of the people want. and i am really proud of him and proud to be an american because of him. and my son was in the choir. i would have liked to see more of them. they are a great college. i just hope the people that do not agree will be ok with those of us who do. it feels great right not to be an american. host: robyn is referring to lee university singers who hail

from the eu -- lee university in tennessee. next is a call from john. john is a naperville, illinois. an independent there. caller: i really enjoyed the inaugural program. in particular, president obama saying we need not choose between those who brought us where we are today and those who stand for where we will be in the future. then i have a question. what is the history behind the flags displayed in front of the white house? host: the white house or the capital? caller: the capital. host: there is information about the flags, which i can get for you, but not immediately. let's listen to a call from iran in georgia. you are on.

republican. welcome. caller: i watched the first inauguration and thought it was wonderful. host: today the ceremonies? 2008? caller: the first inauguration he had. my main comments i wanted to make is being a republican, i am almost ashamed to say that. i did vote democratic, and i voted for president obama. the reason i did vote for him is because we need change and things to go on and start getting these people together. i am talking about the congress and senate. they need to get together. this is absolutely really disgraceful. other people around the world are watching this. we need to make sure we set the

standard instead of having these guys bicker and fight over this. we need to stop it. that is one of the reasons why i will no longer vote republican. host: for john, about the flags, here is the information. framed against the backdrop of red white and blue, the west front of the capital features five flags. two earlier flags, the flag known as the bet to ross. this appeared in the early 70 '90s. the next two flags in the center are the flags the u.s. adopted when the president-elect on state become part of the united states. president obama's home state of illinois entered the union 1818, of making it the 21st day to join the union. therefore the sides and -- the flags displayed 21 stars. next, a call from rebecca from

santa barbara. caller: i wanted to say i am watching the inauguration with my 10-year-old son. we were really proud of how majestic and beautiful everything looked and how the band, the marine of barging band was so famous -- the marine marching band was so famous. you really get to enjoy all of those scenes. watching all of the senators march in. we really enjoyed it. we really took to heart when president obama said we need to take care of the generation that built the country, but also paved the road for the generation of the future. host: thank you and thank you

for sharing your experience with your 10-year-old. one of the other traditions at the luncheon is for the congress on behalf of the american people to present the president and vice president with bases created by the lenox corporation. this is the seventh consecutive inauguration that the lenox corp. has made the official death from the american people. next up is a call from jesse. caller: good afternoon. i am on the 18-years-old, so this is my first inauguration to watch live. i wanted to say it is pretty interesting and will probably look forward to watching future of inaugurations. i think we could do very well without paul of the perk. my other comment is i got a good laugh when i got bill clinton's

face when the choir girls were singing. host: gorgeous diversity and the inauguration had something for everyone. looking at beautiful pictures inside the capitol and statuary hall where the congress is packed. it is famed for its whispering spot. talk in one spot and the whispering voice, and you can be heard all the way across the hall. next sue from orlando, florida. sue is a republican there. caller: first off, i am not a republican. i am a citizen of the united states. host: we are about to go live to the luncheon. apologies. sorry we did not get to hear what you have to say. we will now take you inside for the official inaugural luncheon presented by the joint inaugural

committee. you will see the introduction. we will be back after the luncheon with more of your phone calls. >> ladies and gentlemen, the

vice president of united states, joseph biden jr. and dr. biden, accompanied by senator alexander and mrs. alexander. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states, mrs.ck obama and mission michelle obama, accompanied by senator schumer. [applause]

>> please be seated.

mr. president. ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. mr. president, mr. vice president, honored guests, my

colleagues on the joint congressional committee on the inaugural ceremonies and i are pleased to welcome you to today's inaugural luncheon. in this historic room we look around at the 35 statues representing men and women, well, one woman. thank you illinois and senator durbin for the statue of frances willard, though i feel obligated to say she was born in rochester, new york. thankfully, she will soon have a company when rosa parks completes her journey from the back of the bus to the front of statuary hall later this year. [applause] now we look around and remember the men and women who helped to define our nation. they like us worked hard to move

this country forward. here in this hall, four presidents took the oath of office. here abraham lincoln served his single term in congress, and john quincy adams, the only former president to return to serve in the house spoke out against slavery. today we also remember in event that took place outside the building but reverberated within. this year marks the 50th anniversary of the reverend r. luther king junior's march on washington, which spurred passage of the historic civil rights laws. we are honored to have with us a colleague, congressman john lewis, a speaker at that historic march. [applause] ongressman lewis' life exemplifies the courage and sacrifice that has made our

nation great. please stand and take about what so we can all recognize you. [applause] -- take a bow so that we can all srecognize you. behind us, the painting we have chosen for this luncheon is at niagara falls. 6.is was painted in 1850 sike for me, niagara falls never fails to inspire a tremendous all of the natural beauty of our country. then and now, the mighty falls symbolize the grandeur, power, and possibility of america. i want to thank my former senate partner, hillary clinton for allowing us to borrow this beautiful painting from the state department collection. [applause]

but frankly, we are not here for the paintings, we are here for the food. while the theme of today's ceremony is based in america's future, today's menu could be labeled face in america's food. from the new england lobster, to the south dakota bison, to the wonderful new york winds, each element was carefully chosen and expertly prepared. it was chosen by the tasting committee, which consisted of debbie bohener, diana cantor, honey alexander, and my wife, alice. they did a great effort, -- great job and the upper was truly bipartisan. and if you do not like the food, you cannot blame it on one party or the other. i know that will not happen. before we begin, it is my

privilege to ask the reverend to deliver the invocation after which the lunch will be served. please rise. >> let us join together in prayer. dear god, in this room stands men and women of different beliefs, different understandings of how you reveal yourself. how you repeal your will and desire to us. yet at this moment our nation joins with us in prayer that despite political differences with in these chambers, and despite the fact that at times we may take for granted things that are unique to our american democracy, that we be united in hope and aspiration for the future of our nation. we pray for continued freedom,

freedom to pursue happiness, freedom to create goodness, freedom to preserve the common good. we pray for continued liberty, liberty to preserve our rights, liberty to defend our understanding of good, liberty to develop ourselves fully as you would have us. our nation prayers -- praise with us as we ask that our leaders be endowed with wisdom, that they may know which passed to move our nation, which occur ridge they may go against their own when necessary for the common good of our beloved america. with results that they not tire but moved unrelenting towards that common good. we pray a blessing on the house of representatives, on our senate and judicial and executive branches. bestowed on every member spiritual protection and good health. we uphold president barack obama

and his family in the same manner. we're thankful for the religious freedom of this nation, for our family and friends, and for this meal which we will now share. remembering there are still those but suffer hunger in our nation. we have all joined in this prayer, and i in the name of jesus christ my savior, amen and amen. thank you mr. president. >> please be seated and enjoy lunch. >> as the president, vice president and 200 guests dining with congressional leaders organized by chuck schumer, the

co-chaired lamar alexander, they will dine on the steamed lobster and new england clam chowder, hickory grilled bison and top things off with apple pie. as we look at the scene here in washington as luncheon gets under way with the music performed by the university of rochester's eastman school of music, we will talk about the relationship between this president and congress. joining us at the table, we sick of dollars who covers politics at -- lisa gonzales who covers politics. he said the last congress was dysfunctional and unpopular. this promises to be much more of this impossibly. what can we expect? >> unfortunately when you look at what happened in the last elections, the partisan divisions have only become deeper. look at the house for example. the blue dog members of the house, fiscally-conservative

went from four years ago of a population of about 51 to now about 15. in the senate, a lot of the long-time senators on both sides of the aisle known for compromising like olympia snowe or kent conrad have been replaced by folks that are hard- liners. in so we are facing the same issues. essentially in the last congress all they did was push them off for another day. you have the same actors, except arguably with more partisan division try to solve the same issues. unfortunately i am not terribly optimistic we will see anything more than a piecemeal approach to a lot of these issues. that runs the gamut from debt issues to immigration to gun control that the cost -- that the last congress show they are

really incapable of doing big legislation, the grand bargain. host: as the president wrapped up his speech, mitch mcconnell issued a statement. he said a divided government provides the perfect opportunity for us to deal with some of the issues of the day. will we see a different republican in this congress, and will the present approach it differently? >> guest: i think heidi is right that all dynamics point -- all things point to the same dynamics last time around. the issues there went to face right now are the same ones they have dealt with all throughout the 112 congress. the debt fight is coming up again. they're just coming out of the fiscal cliff bite. rather than ending and having time in between four gathering before the new year, it went from one day to the next issue. piecemeal is exactly the right

word to describe the congress you are going to see on debt ceiling. the republicans in the house are talking about a short-term view of that. it certainly would avoid disaster coming up for the end of march. you will still have the issue of raising it for the long term. on the republican side there is no real appetite to do that without the reforms. same for gun-control. a lot of the agenda items that the president announced last week, the 23 executive actions you will see taken piece by piece. the easiest one to accomplish will be those that come forward the fastest, and the same for immigration reform. there is a lot that could be done and a comprehensive approach, but i think you will see that come down to the very bare minimum that both sides are able to agree on. >> let me follow up with a vote that will happen on wednesday. that will give another three months and the extension of the debt limit. weird is that position?

why delay that for three months? where does that put them in march and april? >> this is an acknowledgement that they have lost the debt ceiling essentially as a leveraged tool they have been using it as as the past couple of years. this was the main lever to pressure president obama to get spending cuts. when we saw congress' approval ratings plummet was at the time republicans were successful in doing this back in 2011 and they had a hard time recovering since then. i think this is an acknowledgement essentially they will no longer be able to use this. maybe they can use the sequestered and spending bills it also gives the republican party some time to recuperate from the election, and from the bloody fiscal cliff battle where they will acknowledge they came out the losers on that deal, and to try and just picked off some

small fights on spending cuts such that they can rebuild the credibility and brand with the american people. i might mention they just came out of a retreat where they were presented with some unsettling members from their pollster that showed 64 percent of the american public disapproves of republicans in congress. i think they realize they have to do rebuilding on their image and brand. take of the signing ceremony with salt, a tradition that dates back to ronald reagan. the nomination of john kerry officially to serve as secretary of state. his confirmation hearing will take place this thursday. we're told a vote will take place next tuesday. he will be sworn in as secretary of state next wednesday. chuck hagel to head up the funds and j-- head up defense and jack lew as secretary of state.

>> i think chuck this is the steepest climb to his nomination. even before it was officially announced, a lot of members on both sides coming out. there were so many republican members, and he is a former senator republican member from nebraska. even members of his own party coming out in opposition. i think he will face a tough time. jack lew i think will also be of the cross hairs. he was sort of the president's point man when it came to the fiscal issues on capitol hill. we have seen through the spending fights that jack lew was the guy to rankle the different positions and bring everyone to some type of agreement and avert disaster. what is funny is the same goodwill he was able to build up through a lot of the past spending fight seems to be gone and a lot of his defenders on

the other side of the aisle are coming out against him. yes, there is a lot of talk of a fresh start, but both sides are very much in campaign mode. that was something i thought was striking about what the president said, he deftly struck a very combative tone in his inaugural address. >> at this hour the vice president and president, to former presidents and members of the congressional leadership dining inside statuary hall. they will have remarks following the luncheon. in the meantime, comments and calls as we talk about this president and the congress. our line for democrats -- our has tag in 3inagu2013. this president of does not have one-on-one meeting sort intimate

gatherings with members of congress. is this an inside washington story or resonate with members of congress that may or may not result in legislative successes? guest: it definitely designates with individual members and has been a problem that is acknowledged by many, including democrats, the previous presidents like president clinton were successful because they specifically courted republicans and continually invited them over to the white house. so i think it is a relevant point, but i would not necessarily expect there to be a lot more of our rage going on in the new administration just because it seems the president is striking a more combative tone, that he is using potentially as a template the way that he navigated the fiscal cliff deal, which was by using public opinion to bring pressure to bear on republicans versus

trying to reach out to them and look as if he is compromising, that he will potentially try to apply that same tactic to issues like immigration and guns. i think it is very unclear whether that will necessarily be successful. i figure out a very special sort from stance with the fiscal cliff for the polls were showing overwhelming public support for expiring tax cuts, showing republicans were unpopular. so i am a little skeptical that will necessarily work, but they are marshaling, organizing for america and a grass-roots base to try and essentially use the same model. guest: take a look at who the president had on stage with him last week. he did not have any congressional leaders on this issue. he had young children who had written him letters urging him to take action against gun violence. that is pretty much perfect example of the way he is trying

to reach out more to the public and that direct way, rather than trying to build better relations with congress. >host: auriana joins us from ann arbor, michigan. go ahead, please. good afternoon. caller: basically my comment is i feel like the model for congress this next four years should be compromise, because i feel like if you are going to go to combat with the president, let it be for something relevant instead of your personal feelings for him. i feel like this has been everyone sat in the corner and pouted. you will not listen to what i want to do so i will completely shut down. this is not a republican issue,

a democratic issue, this is an american issue. this is people's lives at stake. instead of having your own personal agenda, you need to look at the american people as whole and we need to come together and compromise, and basically get stuff done. there is no reason we should have things like the debt ceiling as leverage to get used to do what i want to do. i just do not think the way that congress has been handling basic policies. you know what you learned on the school yard, sharing is caring. compromise. i am sorry. sometimes i get lost for words. i get so frustrated. host: we will get a response. thank you for the call. guest: it is funny, i was out

braving the crowds. it was cold, but the plan not as bad as four years ago. talking with some of the people that had come very far away, that was the number one thing that attendees on inauguration day mentioned, they would like to see some kind of cooperation, something they have not seen for the past two or three years. one woman said she a taken the train all the way from california to washington. it took her three days because she is not able to fly. the number one thing is she said she wants to see them cooperate, particularly on the issue of guns. the process does not look too good at the moment. guest: i think that is the good news from some of the posturing we have seen by republicans on the debt ceiling. they may be more willing to

compromise on small things. so therefore that is where the piece meal package comes into play. i think the danger is most likely, even if we seek compromise, i do not think it will be on the really important issues to the american public like how do we create jobs, get the economy running again? very importantly, how rain in the long-term debt? that would require a lot of concessions by democrats on entitlement programs. i think the president coming off of the fiscal cliff debate, the republicans, that was their golden moment to extract concessions from the democrats, specifically on social security. i think he would agree with me the end of the negotiations, the trade between the republicans and democrats was to do an increase in the debt ceiling, in

exchange for cutbacks in so security cost-of-living adjustments. john boehner and republicans decided they want to have an argument over the debt ceiling, because of the new year we will be better positioned. they quickly have realized that is not going to be the lever they thought it would be. host: you have covered three presidents, clinton, bush, and now president obama. people say the political divide between these branches is stronger now than it has been in years. you agree or disagree? guest: i absolutely agree. host: why/ guest: i think it is a building that has been taking place frankly since the past couple administrations. it was the war in iraq. for the republicans, the

government spending. it is also the election system and the way we run our primaries. we have a more ideological- purified house of representatives than we have had in a very long time. that is because some people would argue redistricting, as well, which in the past election both parties to it. in the states where democrats are not in control they redraw the districts to make the majority democrats. the republican side as well. this is the first time republicans have controlled this many statehouses since 1926. they really shored up -- the goal was to not pick up extra seats, but to shore up their base. you also have the rising up of the tea party, which is new. that was a response to george bush and some of the policies that his base felt took the

united states into the fiscal abyss with the medicare part b and the war and what not. so you have this very activated based on spending issues, which has been successful in electing hard-liners who read the polls and see the compromise is not the important thing. the important thing is standing on principle. if you dive into that, you will see that a lot of republicans believe standing under principles is more important than compromise. host: joe in cincinnati. republican line. caller: i would like to comment on how i really think this election and term of service barack obama will have, he will really focus on the bipartisanship. i would also like to ask, what are they eating for lunch?

host: for lunch they are dining steamed lobster, new england clam chowder, and sour vanilla ice cream from upstate new york over apple pie. the issue of bipartisanship, he thinks it will be different. guest: people look at washington and think that this is the center of all political dysfunction, but this is something that is happening just as much of the state level as it is on the federal level. states that areeer in a split party controlled than any time over the past 50 years. you have states like michigan where the republican governor and the republican state legislature realrecently passedd

the governor signed up measures that the labor community was up in arms about during the lame duck session last month. these are things national observers were surprised about. when you look a thing on the national level, it mirrors things you're seeing in d.c. there is a polarization where each party is being pulled in a very different direction. you see that all across the country. host: it is sour cream ice cream. so we get the correct. charlie joining us from big spring, texas. independent line. go ahead, please. caller: young ladies have some very good insight, and i was very impressed with mr. obama's speech. i particularly liked when he said for the next 400 years --

for me, i was a democrat all my life and then turned independent, basically because of the divide that you are talking about. hopefully because of the speech, i can see mr. obama a little more mellow now, although he promised immigration and a first term and did not bring it. now he is promising it again. some of us independents are concerned he might bring some immigrants. there is talk -- several thousand islamic muslims. it is a concern for us. although it was a very encouraging speech, this set the tone he was talking about he comes from spain or cuba or whatever. it really is a concern to some of us independents, and

specifically in the southwest united states or texas. i wanted to say i do agree with heidi because she has the essence of the divide of the congress. hopefully they can work together. hopefully he can be more cooperative and set a more combative. host: we look at the scene from the rotunda of the u.s. capitol. did you want to respond? guest: i believe obama is serious this time, to his first point about immigration. i believe the reason why something is likely to happen is the republicans are, too. the republicans just got creamed in terms of the hispanic vote. i think he will have a willing coalition. business is on board. as are the labor unions, so i think it is possible they get

something done. that said, they have to be viewed through the piece mill prism reestablished at the beginning, and i a lot skeptical they will do a broad reform. maybe they will bring in highly skilled workers. the trade essentially has written about this and much more detail, but to establish a pathway to citizenship. at the same time, strengthening our border security. that is the way you bring in both sides of the debates and trying to help the economy, while keeping out additional illegal immigration. i might note since 2007 our government has been pretty successful. immigration is down by something like a million. people have this impression we still have this really porous problem, but the government has

been very successful in cracking down on that. that the if you wrote white house thinks it could leave the framework later this year. guest: he has been slow walking his ideas on emigration since last summer when it was thought he might be on mitt romney short list for vice presidential spot. as we all know, that did not turn out. what happened back then, june of last year, he came out -- he had not come out with legislation%, but a series of principles of openness to immigration reform. no sooner had he signaled that, then the white house through an executive action preempted him on that issue and said they would like to stop the deportation of young people who were brought to the country illegally. this is legislation known as the dream act.

that has not gone anywhere on capitol hill. this relationship between president obama and marco rubio goes back at least that far. he spoke to "the wall street journal" earlier this month. when they're asked about this last week, the press secretary said the sound a lot like what we have in mind as well. a reporter as the press secretary. from that you can tell this is still a politically-charged issue and both sides are trying to the upper hand. it is going to go anywhere, they need to communicate on this. viewers outsidees viewer the united states. we have heidi priscilla.

frazier joins us from marshall, texas. on the line for democrats. good afternoon. caller: good afternoon. i think president obama is doing a good job. >host: think you for the call. let me go back to the earlier point of today being a cease- fire. it is back to work tomorrow. we will see the budget debate on wednesday. with a 16.4, of all 16.5 trillion dollar debt, what can the president do in terms of new programs and new spending in light of what congress may or may not provide. >guest: there will be a piecemeal approach in the next congress, but the fact is there so consumed with the budget debates that there is not likely

to be any room for them to tackle other issues. the trio climate change, immigration and gun control -- those are at the top of his agenda. it is not necessarily what he is able to control. when the of the debt debate happening, funding, all of these issues are focused on spending and tax reform. there is not likely to be a whole lot of room when it comes to the floor action in both changers. host: on the issue of gun control, pretty harsh words from the senator from texas. he said he was basically using tragedy for his own agenda? >> i think this can be summed up in one word, it is very emotional on both sides. you can see a lot of the responses and the immediate aftermath, a lot of democrats rushed to the doors to put out

proposals. now that shifting to the republican side and the side of the pro-ton of lobby, which is very concerned and activated in a way that we have not seen in decades, second among their rights. gun sales have gone through the roof. i think you see that reflected the rhetoric coming out. this is the first thing as well that we will see with democrats saying they will put out legislation. i think the democrats feel if they do not move quickly on this, history has shown up congress will not move at all, no matter what a travesty this was. then you have a small window in which to act. i think the democrats believe they can move on two fronts, one

is limiting the high-capacity magazines, and the second is a background check. you will see a division here as well in the democratic party who want to go bigger than that. they want to reinstate the 1994 assault weapons ban and brought in it. the reason it did not work in the past is because it was not broadened enough because the president compromise too much. we need to move fast, we need to take what we can get. >host: the chair of the committee, senator patrick leahy, joined as yesterday. dave on the phone from georgia. go ahead, please. caller: during this term i believe president obama and congress really do need to work together. we have so many issues facing this country right now from gun-

control to the economy, and we need to tackle those immediately or our children and grandchildren will have some of the consequences because of our action. that is why i believe congress needs to unite and come together to tackle these issues. host: we have heard that now from two or three viewers coming together. why is it so hard? guest: i think one great place to look to that is the speech john vader gave last year. it did not get a lot of fanfare in the press, but he said republicans should really focus on finding common ground with democrats. i think that pretty much sums up for both parties stand right now. these issues were so little that people want to see them come together on.

instead of getting a big debt deal, comprehensive gun control plan they will just focus on those very small areas of agreement. i think one thing we will all have to watch is when the president gives his state of the union address next month will be the next century reaching its -- is the next up of the country reaching its debt limit. being combative and aggressive on this issue, or does he try to frame it in a way where he is blaming it all on the other side? host: the principles remain at the capitol for the luncheon. the west part of the u.s. capital has pretty much empty out. the crowd is continuing to grow. security remains tight. just your thoughts about what it is like for people who are

outside watching this historic moment, 57 the inauguration. guest: i was out there for the last inauguration when it was 2 million people. it was a little more toned down that it was in the past in terms of obama as inauguration because we're in a different time were the president himself has set the tone by cutting back the number of the inaugural balls from something like 10 to 2. and signaling a bit more of a somber tone going forward. at the same time, i think there was a lot of excitement up there. i think these are a lot of people that come out for the first time to experience something historic.

of the same time that energy is very high. this is an exciting moment where it is something you remember with your kids. something you always have to refer and reflect back on. host: four years ago was the largest single event in washington. we did not have the exact count at this hour, but the crowd seemed to be bigger than earlier expectations. the weather cooperated today. guest: that is true. four years ago i was and the freezing cold. you are always amazed the distance and when people travel. the obstacles they overcome in order to be here for this historic event. then asking people what it means to them. the two young girls in their 20s who grew up in little rock, arkansas. they were best friends from childhood. the last time there were in the

capital was 1992 for bill clinton on election night when he gave his address to supporters back then. they both reflected on that and said both of them were first- generation americans. they are saying now to be here with their parents here of the capital for another swearing in was a big deal to them. those are the stories you get from walking around and talking to people. it makes you realize how special this date is, regardless of political affiliation. host: you can read the work of felicia sonmez online who covers political events at "washington post." next is becky from new hampshire. caller: i actually just got married in august and wanted to urge congress to pass same-sex marriage.

i have been trying to get her on my health insurance plan at work. unfortunately i am unable to put her on the health insurance. i am married to a woman, i am not able to put my own wife on my health insurance, which really saddens me about this country. host: thank you for your call. the president made reference to this, and also about the tragedy in connecticut and framed that as the issues he wants to continue to focus on. >> that took me by surprise that he came out so overtly and men should get writes in his inaugural speech. i think that was an issue where he took quite a different approach to things that we've seen him take in the past are how much he will move on that issue is an open question. remains pretty far down the agenda item list.

definitely when it comes to his base and when he is looking at the legacy that he would like to have for himself down the line it remains an area where maybe there could be a couple of surprises down the line. host: democrats line. good afternoon. caller: a lot of people always say something that bothers the president. i do not think any president has been so compromising with the congress than this president. let me take your mind back. if you can remember this day back in 2009 of budget republican leaders meant -- met secretly somewhere in decided they would be real the president's agenda -- derail

president agenda. with this president back the political agenda, the opposing counsel simply said no. their own agenda is to make him a one-term president. mitch mcconnell said that and one of his speeches. so he actually -- they actually are the one to work with this president. even they refuse to attend the steak dinners. they do not want to be seen them -- seen with him, because -- i believe the press is trying to report this and they're biased way. to be on a few, he has worked with them. i would say he played a more

hawkish role this time. otherwise a lot of friends that would put this country for work will not happen. host: think you for the call. guest: i think there is certainly among the president's base that in his first term the president compromised too much, even though his key legislative victories went on party-line votes. in the end there were products that looked different because he attempted to compromise, like the stimulus was certainly not as big as democrats have wanted it to be. the dog-franc regulations have so many loopholes that apparently they #300 pages. -- dodd-frank. health care, the president agreed to delegate this out to the states. a lot of that is now going to come into force in 2014.

it is out of the president's hands. as well on the tax cuts. the president agreed to extend the tax cuts, and even republicans privately said they were surprised they got a clean extension from him. there certainly is the impression the president compromise too much in his first term. that is why you see this different approach that we've been talking about since the beginning of a more aggressive, combat of obama, but also on obama that reaches out to the public to try to bring public pressure to bear on republicans, and who did that. president reagan did that. it is more of a model that reagan used. you will see him apply that to all of the issues in the pipeline. host: let me go back to something the president said in his address today. he talked about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. in terms of the tactics of moving ahead on the guns agenda, we also heard the president last

week talking about the inalienable rights of the average american, and that includes protecting our children. you can see a different twist on the constitutional argument, not the second amendment, but other words from the founding document. guest: guest: that was an approach i had not heard him take until last week. keeping children the spotlight on the issue and making an appeal to parents, that this was a matter of their children's city, and at the same time making the constitutional argument that, yes, you have at second amendment rights, but you have the issue of gun violence so prevalent these days. i think what that is something we are going to continue seeing . at vice-president biden, who is the point man on the gun-control issue, spoke for almost an hour and devoted his entire remarks at a conference to gun control,

which was pretty remarkable, given that he could have spoken on any issue he wanted. that is a sign that the white house wants to, as heidi mentioned, wants to move quickly on this. also, they no what the areas of possibility are here, something like an assault weapons ban is a bit too much because politically for them to achieve that, so things like universal background checks and mental-health provisions in there seem to have a better chance of getting support on the hill. host: the president spent a paragraph talking about climate change. did that surprise you? guest: it did, because -- well, yes and no. the president talked about climate change it virtually for the first time in his acceptance speech. he did not talk about it much on the campaign trail at all for his election. now he is bringing it up again.

the problem is that if you look at the republican agenda in the house, it is to go to war on the epa. of all the issues, this may have the most limited prospects of moving on a bipartisan basis. what the president can do on this issue is through executive order. this is what the republicans are screaming bloody murder about, because he already has done this through executive order, limiting emissions for new vehicles, also limiting the coal-fired plants, although very few companies are actively planning to build new coal-fired plants, because they find that natural gas is a lot cheaper. one thing he could do is move through executive action on limiting emissions from current facilities, current coal plants that are operating. this is why you hear the republicans digging up this whole "war on coal" argument,

and this could become if the president doesn't handle this the right way, a major thing in the election, because you have so many democrats from coal- rich states who might not be there with him. who announced his retirement this past week or so but senator jay rockefeller? that would be a prime opportunity for republicans to pick up. host: tweet from one of our viewers. i remind you that the campaign is already underway for 2016. this president has a short window to get something done. guest: absolutely, and you already see this contenders jockeying for positions on both sides. we were chatting with her about vice-president biden, the much more prominent role he has been taking the past few weeks, and whether or not he is leaving the door open for a future bid. on the democratic side, you have a lot of movement there. the gun issue in particular

could be a big one for these future contenders did a lot of the democrat governors in these states are coming forward with their own very aggressive gun agendas, possibly in the hopes of a 2016 bid. on the republican side, you have rubio on immigration reform, and santorum seems to be trying to keep his spot in the political spotlight. we here are focusing on the policy and what can be accomplished, which doesn't seem to be a whole lot right now. i think waiting in the wings are these contenders ready to go for the next election. host: the president's state of the union address will be in three weeks. live coverage here on c-span. chandler, arizona, republican line. but after an. -- good afternoon. caller: good afternoon. i'm a lawyer, are to republican, a gun under, and a conservative.

this general view that gun owners are against regulations or gun-control -- and lived in arizona, one of the mustaf -- i live in arizona, which is one of the most flexible done at state street we own our guns and love our guns, but we are willing to make compromises for the good of the country, i would like to make that known. i listened to a lot of conversations on the television, this into a lot of political debate. listen a lot of political debate is so political that our voices are drowned out. that is the point i wanted to make about gun ownership. host: thank you for the call. heidi przybyla, and want to go back to your note -- "gun- control laws often end with a thud in congress."

guest: i want to go back to her point. you are absolutely right that nra members are not necessarily in sync with the impression that nothing could happen on guns. about a year ago, republican pollster frank luntz conducted a poll of nra members and found overwhelming support for common sense regulations like universal background checks. 40% of guns are sold at gun shows or through the internet. there is an overwhelming number of nra members, gun owners, and just the general public who support these provisions. as well, the high capacity magazines to over 60% of americans, including gun owners, support limiting those high capacity magazines. it is a question of just some lore that has built up since 1994, when, after bill clinton got the assault weapons ban through, he lost his majority in

the house, and the democrats have been essentially scared of the issue since then. but i think, you know, as part of this new strategy of winning public pressure to bear things done, it is possible that if the democrats and some moderate republicans continue to highlight these numbers, many americans, including gun owners, support these types of reforms and maybe something can happen. host: robert has this tweet. guest: i was reading something in "the post" this morning on that very topic of how does the president and chief a legacy to one of the points was that it takes some kind of mortal danger for the country to be in it for the president to react in a way that becomes remembered for generations. the author of that piece was

arguing that the country is not facing such a mortal danger right now it is a matter of perception. if you look at something like the debt issue, republicans would argue that that is a matter for the country that is a real great issue -- grave issue. if you look at the first term, that was not at the top of his agenda. does he try to seize the initiative on this issue, and can he turn it into something that will really put the country on a better fiscal path? i think that is an open question right now. if they are going to do that, if the white house does want to seize the upper hand on that issue, i think they ought to be aggressive on the hill, rather than letting the gop set the terms of the argument. host: we are talking about the crowd and the size of the audience. according to twitter.com, this inauguration setting a record in

terms of tweets. there were about 82,000 tweets in 2010 during the inauguration ceremony. this year, 1.1 million tweets, an average of 28 per minute. they were said that using the hashtag we're using, #inaug2013. caller: can you hear me? hello? host: you are on the air. caller: it seems like his relationship with congress will be better this term. it seems like his first term was about being reelected. it was quite obvious that the republican party was largely being obstructionist and treating his first term as if he was a lame duck president because of race. i think he can now focus on the real issues without the way of

not being reelected. you can see that change of attitude even in the first lady's. stock, which is not very conservative. hairstyle, which is not very conservative. host: we knew the pair would come at some point. it can sometimes be a curse. guest: it is infamous in that it can sometimes be overreach. there have been a lot of the most significant scandals in the second t erm of a president. you look at reagan, iran-contra was in the second term. president clinton had the monolith alinsk -- monic a lewinsky scandal, although i don't think president obama allowed a similar scammell

there. -- will have a similar scandal there. don't know what the issue will be for their present other than a sputtering economy that is not improving at the rate that he promised. a lot of republicans i talked to say that the good thing is that if president obama wins, he will completely on this economy. whatever happens with the economy, he can take the credit or the blame. host: sarah from boise, idaho. caller: i wanted to say how wonderful the festivities were today. it just touched my heart. just seeing all the hope on the people's faces out there, all, my goodness. even talking about it now i am getting teary-eyed again. and the love, it was wonderful. so much coal. i just know that the next four years is going to be wonderful. yesterday was my birthday.

i am 63. so every four years i get a president, and i'm very happy about that. host: well, sarah, happy birthday. felicia sonmez, thoughts? guest: politics often playset by press release and statements from one side or the other, that we only see electronically or delivered from floor speeches, but what is interesting about a day like today and the state of the need is that you get to see the reaction real time. the president's supporters were definitely thrilled about everything onstage today. was also interesting was the republican members of congress up there and out they were responding. i was underneath to the podium on the side where a lot of senators were seated and was watching john mccain in particular, and the lines he applauded for, the lines he did not, you can look at that as portending what is possible on capitol hill. he applauded on a lot of the

lines of the deficit and the mention of newtown and other issues, but notably on immigration reform, he just sort of sat there while other members did applaud. whether or not you can read something into that, i am not sure, but it is definitely an opportunity for reaction on the other side. host: to all of these issues we have been addressing the last hour, i want to look at something your colleague wrote in "the washington post." "if the president can reach a broad deal that settles some of the disputes over entitlement spending and tax code and govgiving the government borrowing authority to last through much of the term, he can use that energy to forge a bipartisan, rise on these other big issues to." guest: that is a huge point. one point that ms. mcconnell, republican leader in the senate, has made over and over again is the reason they are using to get them as leverage is they feel the urgency of the issue, and

one of the things he said in the past few weeks was that if obama does come to the table and helps to craft a big deal, both sides can agree to, he will be able to move on to the other agenda items that he would like to pursue. if he does not do that and congress is not able to come to some kind of agreement, the capitol hill agenda is going to stay focused on this and stay paralyzed. it could end up being one that plays in their favor in the end. guest: what he's talking about is another bite at the grand bargain. in order for that to happen, you ought to have a significant cut and entitlement programs. this was not supposed to be a speech that outlined any particular policy, but he mentioned entitlements and social security and making sure that we don't compromise care for the people who built this country in order to pay down our debt, even though he acknowledged that is an important problem.

i think you will have to wait and see just how willing the president is going to be to make those big compromises. but the main incentive that democrats had been given to make the compromises was some kind of deal and taxes. now, you can argue that the president did not exactly what he wanted on taxes. asked for $250,000 threshold for households and he got $450,000 paid but he essentially got a pretty good deal. what is left? on the democrat side, in terms of what they want in order to make those difficult entitlement changes, some close and of some loopholes for oil and gas companies, or wealthy people eliminating the second mortgages on their deductions, i don't know if that is the making of a grand bargain. i agree with the promise that if they were able to do that, that would leave an enormous amount of energy pushing for these other issues. host: our conversation with

heidi przybyla of bloomberg news and felicia sonmez of "the washington post." ted, portland, oregon, good afternoon. caller: i want to say what a great, glorious celebration that was in washington, d.c. i want to celebrate the presidents of our great country. i did want to ask a question i have not heard addressed anywhere -- watching other news channels and your channel -- and that is absented george w. bush, and why he was not present at the inauguration. i know his father was ill, but i have not heard that addressed somewhere. i am very curious about that. host: thank you for the culprit we have heard that he is with his father -- thank you for the call. we have heard that he is with his father, 41 and 43 they are called. guest: well past presidents to come, it is their prerogative if they choose not to bid it is

little surprise given how little we saw him on a campaign -- he was not present at the republican national convention, he stayed out of the limelight, and most members of the party acknowledged it and were grateful -- acknowledged they were grateful for that because he is still so caustic with his political rating and how his party is viewed. it does not bode too well for the political future of jeb bush, someone touted as a white house hopeful, if only -- definitely one appealing to the teen as would have the best chance of those republican contenders -- appealing to latinos would have the best chance of those republican contenders. they don't think that the bush name has recovered enough for him to make a run. host: many people are saying

that this president could use george w. bush on the issue of immigration because he is that as a key domestic agenda item on for his second term and he felt pretty good president bush help him on immigration with republicans? pick it'm sure he could is a question of whether he wants to play that role. there are plenty of other surrogates who could play this role, and the most important one is marco rubio, who was not only of hispanic origin, but also younger and can appeal to this whole dreamers movement, and he is right here in washington serving in congress and drafting legislation and working on a bipartisan basis. there is also a large number of democrats and republicans who, while we don't hear about it, are working behind the scenes, like lindsey graham and charles schumer, on putting some kind of legislation out there. certainly bush, he decided to

step forward, could play a constructive role. it is not like he is going to let democrats just because he decided to put himself out there on the issue. it would only help in terms of bringing republicans on board. host: we are awaiting the luncheon, which will be wrapping up shortly, and we will hear from the speaker of the house, as well as the president, and at truck schumer, lamar alexander comedy cochairs of the joint congressional committee -- and chuck schumer, lamar alexander, the cochairs of the joint congressional committee on the inauguration. there was a sense of bipartisanship, at least today, felicia sonmez. guest: i guess we will see in the remarks after this. the president last week was asked about this and was asked pointedly about what his relationship has been like with republicans on the hill, including boehner, and obama seem to be more defensive on

that question then on pretty much any other issue. when it comes to their personal relationship, throughout this debt talks, 2011, 2012, heading into this congress, the personal relationship between the two of them seems to not quite be, i guess, just not working together well enough in order to hammer out a big deal between the two of them. i guess we will see a little bit more in a few minutes. host: darlene in silver spring, maryland. caller: thank you. i am a registered independent. i happen to be african-american. i want to guests at to point out the language and the speech -- i think they characterized it as "combative" and "aggressive."

i wonder if they would use that same type of language for a president was not black. the president is being firm, and many people think that is a good thing. many people think he did not do a good job of negotiating in his first term, and for and had to say this is what i want, this is how i will approach it, why with that be called combative and aggressive, but to compared to what we saw from john boehner? host: ok, we will get a response. heidi przybyla. guest: i don't think i used the word "combative," but i don't think that has a negative connotation in this sense, because as you pointed out, a lot of the president's supporters believe he was not combative enough in his first term. i don't necessarily think that is aas bad thing. host: heidi przybyla of bloomberg news and felicia

sonmez of "the washington post," thank you for being with us. we appreciate your time and perspective t. the luncheon is wrapping up, and you see the president talking to the chair of the senate judiciary committee and the president pro tem of the senate. live coverage here on c-span. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. i hope everyone has enjoyed lunch. i think we really deserve a round of applause -- [applause] to our chef and our caterer, all the people who serve the meals so expertly. they have done a great job. it is now my honor to invite the speaker of the house, john boehner, to the podium to present the official flags. [applause] >> senator, thank you.

ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the old hall of the house. the people's representatives met in this chamber over five decades prior to the civil war, and it is, under they made it here that long. you see, the acoustics were terrible. you just couldn't hear anything. or in some spots, you could hear everything that was being said in the room. ess.as a mas and of course, it was also at a time when our leaders were not hearing each other that well to begin with. but here is a century and a half, and many architectural improvements later, we gather in the old hall to better hear one another and to renew the appeal to better angels. we do so at amid the rituals and symbols of unity, none more important than our flag.

this year old glory will mark a milestone of her own hit it was the spring of 1813 that the new commander of fort mchenry ordered a flag to be flown over the entrance to baltimore harbor. "it should be so large," he said, "that the british will have no difficulty seeing it from a distance." for such an enormous banner, a mother and daughter team had to stick together overlapping strips of will to make the products whole. from many, one. so i ran flat was born and not long after that, an anthem to go with -- a grand flag was born and not long after that, and had to go along wit -- anthe tom go along with it. a symbol of faithfulness to which we all play a part.

in the spirit of harmony, i am proud to present the flag that flew over this battalion of democracy today to president barack obama and vice president joe biden, and to you, john ulman, i say congratulation and godspeed -- and to you, gentlemen, i say congratulations and godspeed. [applause] >> i am now pleased to introduce my friend and colleague and partner in his inaugural endeavor, senator lamar alexander, to the podium to present the official for gr photographs. >> thanks, chuck.

mr. president and michelle, mr. vice president and jill, president and mrs. clinton, chief justice, when president was not here today -- we were sitting next to him, george h.w. bush and barbara -- he said, "barbara, what i speak about?" she said, "about five minutes, george." [laughter] i will speak one minute. it will be a time when your children are trying to explain to their grandchildren that this day actually happened, and that those great-grandchildren don't believe it, we have pictures. [laughter] and these pictures are for you, and we wish you the best as you work for that common good mr. cortez spoke about in the

invocation and as you so eloquently talked about in your description of the american character today. [applause] >> ok, i would now like to introduce the distinguished majority leader of the house of representatives, eric cantor, to present the inaugural gift. >> good afternoon. on behalf of the joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies, it is my honor to present the president and mrs. obama, vice president and dr. biden, with these beautiful crystal vases, of the

finest quality crystal. the images of the united states capitol and the white house are hand cut and etched into the crystal. the crystal basis on which the vases said are inscribed with the name of the recipient and today's date. president and mrs. obama will receive the vase taking the white house, vice president and dr. biden will receive the vase depicting the capitol bid at this time, my wife, diana, and i invite the president and mrs. obama and the vice president and dr. biden join us in looking at these beautiful vases. [applause]

[laughter]

>> ok, i am now pleased to invite my colleague house democratic leader nancy pelosi to the podium to present a mementos you will all receive as you leave the statuary hall . >> thank you very much, mr. chairman schumer, and cochair alexander wonderful inauguration. mr. vice-president, mr. president, first lady, first lady, first lady -- [laughter] dr. biden, all of our distinguished guests. i will tell you about a gift for

you. freedom now stands on the dome of the capitol of the united states. may she stand there forever not only in form, but in spirit. those were the words expressed 150 years ago by the commissioner of public buildings as the statue of freedom was placed atop the capitol during the presidency of president lincoln. that expression of the spirit of freedom is what we want you to take with you today, and it is contained in this portfolio that you will receive from the joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies, along with a frame depiction of the capitol as it appeared at the start of the civil war. you heard it well described by chairman schumer in his remarks. today the statue of freedom and the spirit of freedom marches over the capital as another prison from illinois has taken

the oath of office. -- another president from illinois has taken the oath of office. despite the challenges at home and abroad, we heard in president obama's eighth inaugural address im a message of hope, a vision of peace, progress, prosperity, and the promise of freedom for all. may god bless you, president obama, vice-president biden, and your families. congratulations, with wishes for much success for you, for that is the success of our nation. may god bless you all, may god bless america. [applause] >> mr. president and dr. biden

and your whole wonderful famil ies, i rise now to toast the vice president of the united states and my former colleague and my friend, joe biden. mr. vice president, you have been an extraordinary leader of this nation and a true partner to our president these passed for years. you play many roles -- advisor, at the cat, implement your, persuader -- advisor, advocate, implementer, persuader, strategist, and most important of all, friend. we are confident that is unique partnership between you and our great president will grow stronger and more productive over the next four years. mr. vice president, on the surface, we don't share a common ancestry, but on a deeper level, we do share a common story. an american story, of achieving our dreams thanks to the sacrifice of our immigrant for

ebears. as you embark on europe will deserve a second term, in the spirit of those who came before us -- your well-deserved the interim, in the spirit of those seeking before us and all americans, we offer our support and warmest wishes, and we say salud, andhaim, cheers to our great vice president. and all thoseent, at a in and assembled, i always enjoyed this lunch more than anything we did in the capitol,

for the 36 years i served and the senate i had a great honor of being included in this lunch for former presidents and vice presidents. it really is the place where we get together in a way unlike any other time when we gather. it is always a new beginning every time we are in this room, and there is a sense of possibilities an opportunity and a sense that sometimes is leading but that maybe we can really begin to work together. chuck, we may come from different ancestors, but is all our colleagues know over the years, we are cut from the same cloth, that we share that same common absolute conviction that was expressed by harry truman when he said, "america was not built on fear.

america was built on courage come on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to did the job at hand at." that is what you have done throughout your career, and that is what everyone in this room has done. at the end of the day, it is absolute confidence, absolute confidence. there is not a thing, a single thing, this country cannot do. i spent too much time with all of you not to know that you feel with every fiber of your being that there is nothing, nothing, this country is incapable of. i must say, the president kids me occasionally did i know harry reid always calls me a senate man. i am proud to have been a senate man. i am proud to be president of the senate but that is only exceeded by the pride in being

vice president of the united states with barack obama as president. [applause] one of the great privileges of my life. if the president will forgive me, as we were walking out, and as he said, savoring the moment, looking out on the crowd and all the americans assembled, it surprised me even, i turned to him and said, "and you. thanks for the chance. thanks for the chance to continue to serve." folks, i raise my glass to a man who never, never, never operates out of fear, only operates out of confidence, and i'm toasting you, chuck. [laughter] a guy i plan on working with it. you cannot get rid of me, man.

remember, i'm still part of the senate. god bless you chuck. you have done a great job, and lamar, you have as well pretty good to see you, pal. >> the best parts of these events are unscripted. i would now like to introduce our senate majority leader, my good friend and fox will bud -- foxhole buddy, harry reid, to offer the official toast to the president. [applause] >> americans today are wishing the president got speed for the next four years. people all over the world are looking at us and our exemplary democracy and wishing the

president the best in the years to come. i have had the good fortune in the last many years to work on a very close personal basis with president obama. i have watched him -- the most difficult challenges that a person could face. i've watched him do this with brilliance, with patience, with courage, wisdom, and ki ndness, from which i have learned a great deal. so, mr. president, i toast and great for you -- and pray for you, your wonderful family, and

our great country. four more years, barack obama. >> michelle and the speaker of the house came to a meeting of the minds that i may be delaying the proceedings to much. and so i'm just going to be extraordinarily brief and say thank you. to my a vice president, who was not only been an extraordinary partner, but an extraordinary friend, and to dr. jill biden,

who has partnered with my wife with an extraordinary generosity on behalf of our men and women in uniform. to the entire cabinet that is here, i am grateful to you. some of you are staying, some of you are leaving, but i know the extraordinary sacrifices that you and my team have made it to advance the progress of this country, and i will always be grateful to you for that. to the speaker of the house and nancy pelosi, to democratic leader harry reid, as well as republican leader mitch mcconnell, all the congressional leaders and all the members of congress who are here, i recognize that democracy is not always easy, and i recognize there are profound differences

in this room. but i just want to say thank you for your service and i want to thank your families for their service, because regardless of our political persuasions and perspectives, i know all of us serve because we believe we can make america for future generations. and i am confident that we can act at this moment in a way that makes a difference for our children and our children's children. i know that former president carter, president clinton, they understand the irony of the presidential office, which is the longer you are there, the more humble you become, and the more mindful you are that it is beyond your power is individually to move this great country. you can only do it because you have extraordinary partners and a spirit of goodwill and, most

of all, because of the strength and resilience and fundamental goodness of the american people. and so i would like to join all of you not only in toasting the extraordinary work that chuck schumer and lamar alexander and others have done to create this special day for us, but i also want to thank each and everyone of you for not only your service in the past, but hopefully your service in the future as well. i would like to offer one last toast, and that is to my extraordinary wife, michelle. there is controversy about the quality of the president. no controversy about the quality of our current first lady. [applause] thank you, everybody. god bless you, and god bless america.

>> ok, now that everyone is standing, you can remain standing, because it is my privilege to introduce his eminence to deliver the benediction. >> thank you for the extraordinary and unique honor bestowed upon me to deliver it the benediction. it is the greatest honor in my life. let us pray as we prepare to go forth in peace, confident in america's bright future, in the name of the father, the sun, and the holy spirit.

oh god of all, we give thanks to you and praise you on this day, as did our first president on the day of his inauguration, for we, too, resolve once more to the benign parent of the human race in humble supplication, in the words of president washington. we bless and praisner holy name -- praise your holy name, and ask blessing upon these united states of america, our president, barack obama, and vice president joseph biden, as they and commence the second term of their sacred responsibilities in the highest office of our country. bless, preserve, and keep them and their families safe and

healthy. together with who serve our nation, especially in the congress, the two tishri, and armed forces -- judiciary, and armed forces, here and everywhere who defend our pursuits of life, liberty, and happiness. heavenly father, may we ever abide in this land of opportunity and freedom in perfect etranquillity, faithful to our foundations and ever building a more prosperous, just, equitable, and a decent society for all of our citizens. and may we always share our faith and hope for the future with the whole world with your divine and gracious love.

amen. >> amen. >> thank you, archbishop. thank you. >> great to see you. ok, please be seated for a moment. my pleasure, archbishop. thank you. well, i think everyone will agree that this has been a wonderful inaugural ceremony, a delicious lunch, but it is now time to head to our next happy stop, presidential parade. [laughter] like many of you, i marched in hundreds, but as we optimistically stepped into the next page of american history, under the leadership of president obama, i have a feeling this one is going to be something truly special.

so thank you for being here, god bless you all, god bless america. [applause] >> thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> again, ladies and gentlemen, please remain in place, as president obama, vice president biden, and members of the joint committee on inaugural ceremonies depart statuary hall.

>> you are watching c-span's live coverage of the inauguration, and a live view of the rotunda as we wait for president barack obama to depart the capitol following the congressional lunch. he will take the route every president since thomas jefferson has used, the inaugural parade route.

1.5 miles between capitol hill to the white house, and every president since 1800, john adams, has lived in the white house. he departs the capitol, joined by vice president biden.

57thheme for this year's inauguration is "our people, our future." the parade will continue straight down pennsylvania avenue until its this is a live view of the route the president will be taking, the same route taken by previous presidents and a route that was first ordered by thomas jefferson in the first inaugural parade would than two centuries ago. you can see the walkway that has been set up, a temporary walkway to allow the president to get to and from the white house and the reviewing stand that will include the vice-president and first family members. what happened next is the presidential review of the troops, tradition and protocol on this inauguration day. we will see that from the u.s.

capitol and the u.s. motorcade. since jimmy carter, every president has watched a portion of the route along pennsylvania avenue, president carter walking the entire 1.5 miles. we are told the president will likely do so right before 15th and pennsylvania avenue, that -- or around a corner and a short distance to the white house. the inaugural ball will take place tonight at the inaugural center.

>> a live view of the west front of the u.s. capitol where the ceremonies took place earlier today. we are getting your calls and comments. the president will stay inside the capital for about 10-15 minutes before departing and taking the parade route, so we will use this topic in -- we will use this opportunity to get your thoughts. the president delivering his second inaugural address. congress gets down to business as early as tomorrow. we have a tweet from leo who says i am is the inaugural.

we will replay the inaugural ceremonies today and tonight here on the c-span networks. we will stay like this afternoon with the inaugural parade. we will hear from richard, joining us from pennsylvania on the democrats' line. good afternoon. >> in watching the proceedings on c-span, and notice that speaker boehner seemed to be going through the motions. he did not seem to have a lot of gusto or smile. this would have been a great opportunity to maybe extend an olive branch and start anew. that is really my comment. >> thanks to the call. next is colleen joining us from inverness, florida on the democrats' line. your thoughts about this inaugural ceremony today. >> my thought is congratulations to president obama and vice president biden. i watch the coverage by c-span. it was absolutely great. the oath administered by justice

roberts was purposely done quickly so he could trip up, almost, president obama, and it spoke poorly of a chief justice of the supreme court. i love president obama is quick recovery and his beautiful speech. >> thank you for the call. we welcome our listeners on c- span radio. again, the president is inside the u.s. capitol. remarks by the cochairs of the inaugural committee, senator chuck schumer and lamar alexander of tennessee. the president thanking the organizers of the inaugural luncheon and the ceremony itself from the west front of the u.s. capitol. the parade will include 58 different groups and run about 2.5 hours, shorter than the

parade from four years ago. mike is homophone from wisconsin on the republican line. -- mike is on the phone from wisconsin. >> it sounded more like a political speech i did not vote for him. i do not support him. >> memphis, tenn., is our next caller, john on the independent line. good afternoon. >> i am a vietnam era veteran and a former teacher, and i was very interested to hear the indication -- invocation. in closing, she used the name of jesus, which is more than the chaplains in the military were able to do.

i do hope that america can come closer together with israel in its defense against the people who are trying to blow her off the planet. >> joining us from richmond, virginia, is george. >> i have two comments i would like to make. first, the president had an excellent inaugural address. the one thing i hope he would do in order to get congress to work with him is what he said at the end. the people need to voice their opinions. they need to act. i remember one time i think it was president kennedy, getting public feeling on issues, i think that helped.

help him to get this country moving forward. >> thanks for the call. words from the president from today's inaugural address, he said "each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our constitution, we affirm the promise of our democracy, it is not the color burst again of the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names that makes us exceptional, what makes us americans is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration that was made more than two centuries ago." the words of the president in his second inaugural address. from michigan on the republican line, good afternoon. >> my comment deals with the reference to president abraham

lincoln. it was referred to numerous times today and throughout the past year or two. my concern or, at is, i do not think that president lincoln would have made such a haphazard, and calculated statement as what was said a couple of years ago by nancy pelosi, and backed by the democrats, when she said about the health care bill. she said let's pass it, then we will see what is in it. that had to be the most an awful comment -- unthoughtful comment that i have heard. >> the president will be coming momentarily to review the troops. in.'s listen an

>> present arms.

>> forward march. ♪

♪ ♪

♪

>> present arms. [cheering]

[chanting "obama!"]

[cheering]

>> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states, barack obama, and the first lady, michelle obama.

the vice president of the united states, joe biden and dr. jill biden.

>> first lady, michelle obama.

>> ladies and gentlemen, the vice president of the united states joe biden and dr. jill biden.

continuing with the united states secret service uniformed division and the united states service color guard. we also have the joint congressional committee on the inauguration ceremonies. senator leader harry reid. lamar alexander. leader of the house, john maynarboehner.

eric cantor and nancy pelosi. followed by members of the united states supreme court. [inaudible]

unfair --and seveengine, gentlemen --

♪

with democratic leader in anti paulo state. -- nancy pelosi.

>> welcome the united states park police escort. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013]

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [indiscernible]

>> and concluding the escort, united states park police escort. [indiscernible] information, escorts the president, vice president, and other dignitaries from the

capitol to the white house. [indiscernible] to be sworn in as first president of the united states.

[indiscernible]

ladies and gentleman, a pershing -- approaching the presidential reviewing stand, the president of the united states. the vice-president of the united states, joe biden, and dr. jill biden.

the president of the united states, barack obama, and michelle obama. the vice president of the united states, joe biden, and dr. jill biden. they are at the reviewing stand. a beautiful couple.

[indiscernible] the president of the united states and first lady, followed by the vice-president of the united states, joe biden, and dr. jill biden. united states secret service --

[indiscernible] chairman senator charles schumer, senator lamar alexander, representative john boehner, house democratic leader nancy pelosi. [indiscernible] concluding the presidential press corps, the united states

park police. [indiscernible]

ladies and gentlemen, the parade continues to 17th street. [indiscernible] this is your chance to show your appreciation to the president of the united states, barack obama, and the first lady, michelle obama, as well as the vice president of the united states, and joe biden, and dr. jill

biden, on their way to 17th street.

ladies and gentlemen, making their way to the reviewing stand, the vice president of the united states, joe biden, and dr. jill biden. every town seems to have its main street. here in washington, d.c., pennsylvania avenue is our main street. [indiscernible]

the presidential reviewing stand, the vice president of the united states, joe biden, and dr. joe biden. they are just steps away from the presidential reviewing stand, the vice president of the united states, joe biden, and dr. jill biden.

[indiscernible] the vice-president of the united states, joe biden, and dr. jill biden. [indiscernible]

speaker of the house, john boehner, majority leader eric cantor, and house minority leader nancy pelosi.

[indiscernible] making their way toward the

presidential reviewing stand -- [indiscernible]

[indiscernible]

the joint congressional committee making its way to the presidential inaugural. ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure and honor to introduce the mayor of the district of ay.umbia, vincent grea passing the reviewing stand, the mayor of d.c., vincent gray.

than a year it will continue his walked toward 17th street. he will be with you down there in just a moment.

latest and gentlemen, concluding this presidential escort, the u.s. park police theresa led by chief poli chambers.

now approaching at the reviewing stand is the park police chief, theresa chambers. how about a hand for the mounted a u.s. park police/

by tradition, the presidential escort is a civilian and military formation that troubles ahead of the inaugural parade. it escorts the dignitaries from the the whip -- to the white house. the escort traces its roots back to the first inauguration of george washington, who moved from new york's federal all to be sworn in as the first president of the united states. the inaugural parade will continue in a few moments. we will keep you updated. thank you for coming.

[cheering] the parade is marching towards the disbursement area on 17th cahow. there will be a pause of approximately -- 17th street. there will be a pause of approximately 15 minutes. have you enjoyed this so far? much more to go. thank you.

>> for those folks in the 17th street area, the parade is coming your way.

[indiscernible] ♪

♪

>> as we continue to wait for the start of the parade which is running behind schedule, we will use this opportunity to get your thoughts on this 57th presidential inauguration. our phone lines are open. the first lady and the president are inside the white house, along with the vice president and dr. joe biden, headed to the reviewing stand to watch the parade in lafayette square. later tonight they will attend the inaugural ball, all of it taking place at the same location tonight. an estimated 35,000 people to

40,000 people are expected to attend. gregory? >> i am so proud of my president. fox news was the only station on and it seemed like they were wishing for sell -- for someone to shoot at him, that is all they would talk about. all of the other stations are showing love except for fox news. i think they drink blood like other stations drink kool-aid. it is a sad day in america when they preach about the president getting killed. i am a proud black man and i am proud of obama. >> we will go to mark, next in the morning, iowa. >> thank you very much, c-span. thank you for doing what you do.

first,, the, than questions, the suggestion. comedy, the peace and goodwill toward men that obama just signed into law? the macaroni and cheese luncheon back in the cheap seats? on the suggestion from the poem, he mentioned consolation hope, i think that would be cool. the question i have is -- when is the last time there was an inauguration when there has been no president from the other party? you can probably look that up and let me know. but i was just wondering. when was the last time it was only old residence from the same

party? >> there was a statement issued by president george herbert walker bush extending his best wishes to the obama children and mrs. obama. he is of course recovering in houston. we are told that george w. bush is also spending the day with his father. of course, two other former presidents also in attendance. joanne is joining us from detroit. good afternoon. >> i just want to thank obama and michelle for the beautiful job they have done. >> next is oscar from silver spring, maryland. go ahead. >> thank you for taking my call. today is a special day. this is a day for everyone to get together and join in with

the democracy and everything, americans and elsewhere. >> ok, thank you for the call. by the way, one of the voice is your hearing this charlie, the official announcer of the parade, situated directly across from the viewing stand. he participated in his first in 1949, the inauguration of harry truman, the first inauguration to ever be televised. he has been doing? since 1957, when dwight eisenhower was sworn in to a second term. 85 years old, still doing it today. leonard joins us from corona, california. good afternoon, leonard. >> i wanted to thank c-span for allowing us to view the wonderful process that we have for the most peaceful transfer power in the world.

the obama speech was wonderful today. hopefully he will be able to get congress to move in a direction where they can work together over the next four years. i know that it will be difficult for him. as and in the code -- an independent voter i hope that he can unite this country together, as it has been a very difficult past four years. >> thank you. we will listen in as the vice president and dr. joe biden -- jill biden make their way to the presidential viewing stand. >> just a reminder, the official theme today is our people, our future, reflecting the idea that this --

[cheering] ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the vice president of the united states and the doctor jill biden. [cheering] [applause] ♪ [cheering] [applause]

>> it was great. how about the weather? [cheering] sounds like you are having too much fun. [cheering]

♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and mrs. michelle obama. ♪

[cheering] [applause] [cheering] [applause]

[cheering]

[cheering]

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♪

♪ caller ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪ [cheering]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪